An effective frame synchronization technique in European digital radio for band I & II frequencies

Analog to digital transition in broadcasting systems enables efficient use of the frequency spectrum and high-quality broadcast services. Many countries have adopted a digital radio standard or are currently in the process of evaluating the different options available. However, service start time in digital broadcasting systems is slower compared to their analog counterparts. Therefore, fast and efficient synchronization methods are required for digital broadcasting systems. In this paper, a fast frame detection technique is proposed for the Digital Radio Mondiale Plus (DRM Mode E) and its hardware implementation described. The proposed method performs frame detection without sampling frequency correction before synchronization tracking.